GENEALOGY RESOURCES
At the San Francisco Public Library and Beyond
Nancy Silverrod
1-4-2017
CONTENTS
Getting Started
p. 2
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
pp. 2-3
Record Keeping
pp. 3-4
Name Changes
pp. 5
Creating Family Trees online
p. 5-6
Gedcom Files
p. 6
Outline Method for Charting a Family Tree
pp. 7-8
San Francisco Public Library Genealogy Resources
pp. 8-9
San Francisco Public Library Databases
pp. 10-13
Other Genealogy Resources in the Bay Area
pp. 13-14
Other Online Genealogy Resources
p. 15-17
Immigration Information
p. 17
Historic Newspapers
p. 18
Researching Specific Ethnic Groups
pp. 19-22
Historical and Genealogical Societies
p. 23
Finding Graves
p. 23
Obituaries
pp. 9, 23
Other Places to Search for Information
p. 23
Hiring a Professional Genealogist
p. 24
Genealogy Software Reviews
p. 24
DNA Tests
p. 24
Genealogy Television Shows
p. 24-25
Genealogy Workshops
p. 25
Preserving Family Photographs, Documents, and Other Ephemera
pp. 24-25
G.I. Babies
p. 26
Finding the Elusive Women in Your Family
p. 26-27
Cousin Chart
p. 28
Index
pp. 29-34
1
GETTING STARTED WITH GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
Genealogy requires a lot of patience. You may spend hours on what seem like fruitless searches
before uncovering a little gem, or a big new branch on your family tree. Genealogy TV shows
make the work look simple, but each episode may take over 1000 hours of searching.
Fact or Fiction: Your job, as a genealogist, is to sort fact from fiction – and you will find a lot of
fiction out there. People may have things they don’t want uncovered: what might not seem
shameful today may still burden our older relatives, or perhaps they like more romantic
versions of how their grandfather escaped from the Tsar’s army. Start with what you know to
be factual, and work backwards filling in details as you find them.
Family Secrets: Most families have secrets of some kind or another, and, inevitably, you will
stumble across some of these. They can include adoptions, illegitimate children, second families
on the side, mental illness, crimes, etc. Gather the information, and be judicious in who you
share it with. Time tends to heal wounds, and to remove the stigma of things that weren’t
talked about in the past. As older members of the family die, it may be possible to share some
of the information more freely, but you may decide to save it for the person who takes on the
family history research after you. Ask people before sharing anything possibly disturbing about
them. Again, if the opportunity comes up to double check the information, ask people if they
are willing to talk about the issues. It may turn out that the information you have is incomplete
or erroneous. And it may turn out that family members won’t want to accept something that
you are pretty certain is true, because you have heard it from several sources.
See also, Black Sheep Ancestors, p. 15.
PRIMARY VS. SECONDARY SOURCES – When conducting research, keep in mind that you are
gathering both the hard facts, but also the heart of a family’s story.
Primary documents provide the facts (and sometimes contribute to the heart of the story).
They are items created at or near the time of events. They include things like:
a) Family bibles, since it was traditional to record births, marriages, and deaths as they
occurred.
b) Family letters that document events as they happened (these can also be somewhat
untrustworthy since each writer is likely to be viewing things from their own
perspective).
c) Legal documents, including wills, land transfers, lawsuits, etc.
d) Old family photos. These are most accurate if someone recorded names and dates near
the time of taking the photographs. If it was done many years after the fact, you will
need to ask a lot of questions to verify details. If you are lucky many members of the
family will have the same photos, and it will be possible to piece together the gaps.
e) Immigration and naturalization papers.
f) Vital records: birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates, Social Security Death
Index, etc.
g) Military records.
2
h)
i)
j)
k)
Passenger lists.
Journals and diaries.
Church or synagogue records.
Historic newspapers.
Unfortunately, you may find that primary sources don’t always agree on things like spellings
of names, or dates of events. Keep track of everything in the hopes that you will be able to
sort it out later.
Secondary sources can include:
a. Books or other documents based on primary sources. Unfortunately you don’t know
how carefully these were researched.
b. Family trees created by other family members. These can contain errors, or incomplete
information. It helps if the sources they used are documented.
c. Family stories, and individual memories of the past. Have you ever had a discussion with
a group of family members about some event in the past, and found that everyone
disagrees about how it really happened? Yet, these stories can be a rich part of a
family’s history, if you can dig down to the truth. Sometimes people want a certain
version of a story to be the real story, even without evidence. Perhaps it sounds more
romantic or heroic than what really happened, or what is unknown.
Ask family members lots of questions, and don’t believe everything you are told! You now
have a new set of clues and mysteries to research. I’m still waiting to see the photograph of
a cousin in Gold Rush era Colorado who owned a brothel, and is seen posing with his “girls.”
Until I find a copy of the photograph, or some other proof, this will go down in my family
history as, “It is believed that Uncle Kopff owned a brothel.”
RECORD KEEPING: Set up some kind of record-keeping system for each individual, and fill it in
as you go. Keep track of all dates, birth, death, marriage, immigration, naturalization, city
directory info, etc. Keep track of all name variations: alternate spellings, nicknames, childhood
names; different names shown on immigration documents, particularly if the birth dates seem
to match. Keep track of everything you find out, and where you found it, even if it seems
contradictory. Sometimes you will be able to tease out the truth; at other times, you will have
to live with ambiguity.
Some genealogy sites have downloadable forms for keeping records; some charge money for
them. In looking over various options, I’ve created the forms below, for myself. Feel free to use,
or adapt them as you wish.
Individual Family Member Record:
ID# (This is how my family tracks branches of the family – see pp. 7-8 for an example)
NAME(S): Passenger lists, naturalization papers, birth & death records, headstones
BIRTH DATE(S): birth certificates are preferable; naturalization papers, death records,
headstones (and they may not all agree)
3
BIRTH PLACE: Names of places sometimes change depending on changing boundaries caused by
war or political upheavals.
PARENTS’ NAMES:
IMMIGRATION DEPARTURE DATE(S): Passenger lists are preferred
IMMIGRATION ARRIVAL DATE(S): Passenger lists are preferred
PORT OF ENTRY: Passenger lists are preferred
DESTINATION: Often shown on passenger lists, sometimes with the name of a friend or relative
they were joining.
NATURALIZATION: There are several steps involved, including Declarations of Intent, Petitions,
and Certification. If people have waited to become citizens for a number of years there can be
discrepancies in the information.
EDUCATION: Ancestry has lots of year book photos. If your ancestor was well-known, education
is likely to be mentioned in obituaries, Who’s Who, etc.
MILITARY: Fold 3, National Archives
OCCUPATION(S): Census, City Directories, family stories (but don’t always believe them – I was
told a cousin made his living in the porn industry – he laughed when I finally found him).
LIFE CYCLE EVENTS: Bar/Bat Mitzvah, confirmation, baptism, first communion – Check church
and synagogue records
MARRIAGE(S):

Spouse’s name

Date of Marriage

Place of Marriage
CHILDREN:

Names, who they were named after

Date of birth
PLACES OF RESIDENCE: Census, City Directories
DATE(S) OF DEATH: Death certificate, obituaries, headstones, Social Security Death Index, State
Vital Records
CAUSE OF DEATH: if interested – often some interesting stories, and sometimes family medical
history emerges as you compare the causes of death of several people
PLACE OF DEATH:
DATE OF BURIAL: Find a Grave, Billion Graves, JOWBR
OBITUARIES: Great place to discover unknown relatives, family stories
FAMILY STORIES:
4
PRIMARY SOURCES: Letters, keepsakes, photo albums
NAME CHANGES: Name changes and Ellis Island – this is a myth. People will usually be listed on
ship manifests with their original names, although there are some quirky instances in which
someone may be using a name other than their original name. By the time you know of them,
many will have voluntarily chosen to change their names at some point, for some of the
following reasons:
a) Wanting a more “American” name
b) Wanting a named that is more easily pronounced
c) Wanting a shorter name
Other ways that names may have been changed:
a) Whomever recorded a document may have misunderstood, or misspelled a name
b) A later person, transcribing a document, may have had a hard time reading the
handwriting on the original document due to
i. Old-fashioned handwriting styles
ii. Poor quality of document reproduction
It wasn’t, and still isn’t always necessary to go to court to change your name, so many of these
changes happened may also have just happened informally.
Some examples of name changes in my family:

What was most likely Mednikov became Mednikopff at some point, and then Kopff,
which is a German name, not Russian, as my family is.

Several variations of Zatulowski became Satlof

Blume/Bluma became Bella

Malke became Mollie

Golda became Gertrude


Tsalel/Tzalel became Charles
Nechema Werlotzka became Nora
Varlow

Heine (Hannah) became Anna or
Anne

Welwel Verlotzsky became William
Varlow
SOME PLACES TO BUILD YOUR FAMILY TREE ONLINE:
These are just a sampling of sites that I have used, and can comment on. There are many more.
Family Tree Magazine makes annual recommendations; www.cyndislist.com has a
comprehensive listing; and you will find many by doing a simple internet search. Some sites are
free, others charge ($$), and some provide multi-level options based on whether you subscribe
or not (+$).
5

Ancestry.com: $$. - They usually offer a 14 day trial subscription. See more details
about Ancestry on pp. 10-12.

https://familysearch.org/: - The Mormon Family History Center. Completely free. Many
of their documents aren’t catalogued, making their initial search interface harder to use
than Ancestry’s, however, you can go to this link which serves as a good Table of
Contents: http://familyhistorydaily.com/tips-and-tricks/millions-of-free-records-onfamilysearch-cant-be-found-via-search-heres-how-to-access-them/. Some of these sets
of records are easily searchable, but others involve browsing through thousands of
documents. They provide 24/7 telephone support, and maintain regional libraries
around the country where you can get direct assistance from experienced genealogists.

Geni.com: +$ - Related to MyHeritage.Com. Free, but you can get more features by
upgrading to a Pro Subscription. A one year subscription of Pro is $119.40.
A Geni Pro Member has the ability to access additional Pro features on the site,
including:
a.
Access to Tree Matches
b.
Unlimited media uploads (photos, videos and documents)
c.
Enhanced search - search over 100 million profiles to find possible relatives
d.
Premium support - communicate directly with our expert support staff
e.
The Geni Pro Badge - identify yourself as a Geni Pro to family members and
genealogists
f.
Priority GEDCOM support for exported files.

www.myheritage.com/ +$ - Create your family tree and discover your family history.
Get automatic Smart Matches on over 2 billion profiles and share photos. Free basic
membership, but upgrades are available. An upgrade costs $119.40.

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/: An Ancestry product which is free. If you are an
Ancestry subscriber, log in with you Ancestry username and password.
GEDCOM Files: A GEDCOM file is a plain text file containing genealogical information about
individuals, and meta data linking these records together. Most genealogy software supports
importing from and/or exporting to GEDCOM format, which means you can copy your family
tree easily from one site to another. It does not copy any photos or documents.
6
OUTLINE METHOD OF RECORDING A FAMILY TREE: The advantages of this method are that
you can document everything on standard 8.5” by 11” paper. See the example below:
Earliest Known Ancestors: Aaron and Hannah Mednikov
Their descendants (in birth order):
1. Usher
2. Minnie Gittel
3. Chaim
4. Moishe
5. Bella
6. Jacob
7. Shaya
Descendants start with the number associated their ancestor. Usher’s descendants will all start
with the number 1, down to the current generation; Minnie Gittel’s descendants will all start
with the number 2, etc.
Descendants of Usher
1a. Daughter (1st child of the 1st child of the original ancestors)
1b. David (2nd child of the 1st child of the original ancestors)
1c. Isaac (3rd child of the 1st child of the original ancestors)
1d. Moishe (4th child of the 1st child of the original ancestors)
1e. Joseph (5th child of the 1st child of the original ancestors)
1e1. Gertrude (1st child of the 5th child of the original ancestors)
1e1a. Judith (1st child of the 1st child of the 5th child of the original
ancestors)
1e1b. Rena (2nd child of the 1st child of the 5th child of the original
ancestors)
1e1c. Shirley (3rd child of the 1st child of the 5th child of the original
ancestors)
1e2. Lillian (2nd child of the 5th child of the original ancestors)
1e2a. Jean (1st child of the 2nd child of the 5th child of the original
ancestors)
1e2b. Paula (2nd child of the 2nd child of the 5th child of the original
ancestors)
7
Adding facts and story to a person is done as shown in the example of Usher’s daughter, Runya,
and her son, Joseph. You will note in Runya’s story how discrepancies in various dates have
been handled:
1f. Runya
Runya Mednikopff was born on February 25, 1889, in Russia. Although two different U.S.
Census records indicate that she entered the United States in either 1905, or 1907, the
passenger list shows her arriving with her aunt Minnie Gittel Hirsh, and family in 1906,
which is in agreement with family memories. Runya was almost not permitted to enter
the United States because she was anemic.
When she first arrived, Runya lived in Columbus, Georgia, and worked with her cousin
Rosa Hirsch, making hats and dresses to be sold in the Bonfeld family store.
There is also a discrepancy regarding at what age she married. The family history says
she married in 1906, making her about 17, but in the 1930 census, she reports having
married at the age of 19.
After her marriage to Hyman Aron Levin, the couple moved to Jefferson, Georgia, where
she helped him in his store. She apparently changed her name to Rona by the time of
the 1910 census, and by 1920, her husband had changed his name to Herman. Runya
had three sons and two daughters with Herman between 1908 and 1919. She died on
May 5, 1975, in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 86, and was buried there.
1fa. Joseph
When Joseph G. Levin was born on December 31, 1907, in Georgia, his father,
Hyman, was 27 and his mother, Runya, was 18. He had one daughter with
Mildred Entrekin in 1949. Joe served in the military from 1942 to 1946, winning a
Bronze Star, and an Oakleaf Cluster. According to his niece, Fran Ellen Levin, Joe
wanted to continue in a military career, but Mildred didn't like the idea. Despite
having studied to be a civil engineer, he ended up working as the
owner/manager of Owl Drug in Atlanta, where his brother, Jack worked as the
pharmacist. He died on December 22, 1978.
SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY GENEALOGY RESOURCES:
The library has numerous books on doing genealogical research, which can be found in the card
catalog. I will be focusing here mostly on non-book resources available at the library, but will
mention some books in passing.

Book/eBook: Genealogy Online by Elizabeth Powell Crowe 025.0692 C886g 2015

Vital Records: (births, marriages, divorces, deaths): Tracking these down online can be a
challenge. See the International Vital Records Handbook, 3rd floor General Collections
reference desk, Main Library, 929.3 K32v. Vital records are generally available for a fee.
If you have discrepancies in your family tree, it can be useful to purchase documents.
They often have additional information beyond events and dates. For instance, you
8
might find out the occupation of a bride and groom, the bride’s maiden name, as well as
who stood up for them at the wedding. Occasionally you will come across these online;
local historical societies are a good source.

San Francisco Public Library, General Collections, 3rd Floor:
The General Collections Department has a large number of handbooks on how to do
genealogical research, how to organize your results, books on researching different
populations, etc. The department also has titles like Burke’s Peerage, for those trying to
trace their family back to nobility in Great Britain; and many books on family crests,
heraldry, etc.

San Francisco Public Library, Government Information Center, 5 th Floor:
The Government Information Center has California census schedules on microfilm for
1850, 1852, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940. Contra Costa, San
Francisco, and Santa Clara County records were no longer available when the 1850
microfilm was produced. A fire destroyed the 1890 records and no data for California is
extant. Check with 5th floor Government Information staff for more information.

San Francisco Public Library, Magazines and Newspapers Department, 5th Floor:
The Magazines and Newspapers Department has old San Francisco city directories, as
well as newspapers on microfilm and microfiche. If the person you are researching lived
in San Francisco, you may find past addresses, obituaries, and possibly other newspaper
articles. There are also many genealogy magazines available in this department. This
department also provides a free obituary search service of San Francisco newspapers.
You can request an obituary search here: http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000049301.

San Francisco Public Library, SF History Center, 6th Floor:
The SF History Center has a variety of materials relating to San Franciscans, including
books, archival collections and photographs, as well as funeral home records, and
records of the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office. They also have voter registers
for various California counties and years (search for “great register”), and the San
Francisco Social Register from 1922-1976. Other items of interest include:
o Pamphlet on where to find vital records for San Francisco, as well as some
additional resources: http://sfpl.org/uploads/files/1/25/vitalrecords.pdf.
o San Francisco Directories online: http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000540401.
o Finding Aid to the San Francisco Biography Collections:
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt2489r71w/.
o Thousands of early San Francisco genealogy records have been digitized and are
now online on the FamilySearch.org website. See pp. 6 and 15 for more
information about FamilySearch.
o There are hundreds of high school yearbooks in the collection, dating back to the
1880s. These are listed in the online catalog.
Check with 6th floor staff for many more useful genealogy resources.
9

San Francisco Public Library Databases:

Ancestry Library Edition: This database can only be used in one of our branches, or
the Main Library. There is no outside access.
Differences between Ancestry Library Edition and Ancestry.com:

User experience: Ancestry.com is designed for the individual, so there are a lot
of personalized functionality and options available to private subscribers that are
not available in the Library Edition.

Features and functions not included in Ancestry Library Edition:
1.
Collaborate: Includes all of the member’s interactions from Members,
Connect (with each other), Message Boards, Ancestry’s World Archive
Projects and Public Profile.
2.
Learning Center: Search family history how-to and genealogy learning
materials. Browse or search the archives of the Ancestry Daily News, and
popular Ancestry.com online columnists.
Also, the Learning Center tab in Ancestry.com is always available for free.
However, depending on the library’s firewall, some of the tutorial videos may
not run.
The newly announced Wiki from Ancestry for The Source and The Redbook is
available in Ancestry Library Edition in the Help section, under the Wiki Tab.
NOTE: Ancestry Magazine articles have been added to Ancestry Library
Edition under the Learning Center tab in the “Help” section (the Help link is
found at the top right corner of each page).
3. Publish: Build family history photo books using MyCanvas. Allows researchers
to self-publish their research in book form.
4. Shop: Buy Ancestry and other genealogical publishers’ books, magazines and
CDs – including Ancestry’s The Source, Redbook, Printed Sources and more.
Separate titles (tabs) also permit purchasing DNA kits (and posting results),
Hire an Expert (to help you with your research or photo copy a document for
you).
5.
Hire An Expert: Get an estimate on the cost to hire a professional genealogist
at ProGenealogists, an Ancestry research firm.
6.
DNA: The AncestryDNA testing service utilizes autosomal testing technology.
An Ancestry.com account is required in order for you to explore your
possible DNA matches.
7.
OneWorldTree: OneWorldTree gathers family trees and family history
records of millions of people, analyzes their birth, marriage and death data,
and then displays the most probable matches. Essentially, this is a computergenerated lineage database.
10
8.


Family Trees: This section of the website offers many ways to share and
manage all the information you find at Ancestry.com. Recently added is the
ability to upload photos, documents, and add stories about ancestors in the
Personal and Public Member Trees. There is also a Family Trees search tab
especially dedicated for searching the family trees in Ancestry.com. Family
Tree Maker software will not link to Ancestry Library Edition.
The following tree content is not available in Ancestry Library Edition:
1.
Family Data Collections (individual records; births; deaths; marriages)
2.
Millennium File
3.
OneWorldTree
4.
Private Member Trees – You can often get a member with a private tree to
share information if you can convince them that there is a strong likelihood
of a link between your families.
These databases and collections of information are not available in Ancestry
Library Edition
1. Obituary Collection: The collection contains recent obituaries from hundreds
of newspapers. There is still a strong and growing collection in Ancestry
Library Edition. But, newspaper titles offered by ProQuest are not available in
the Library Edition. The collection contains both full text and/or
abstracting/indexing access to the newspaper titles.
2. Recent Member Connect (previously People Finder): This feature helps to put
users in touch with other researchers looking for the same ancestors.
3. Family Facts: Self-populating fields on the side of your search results screen
provide additional facts about your search, such as the most common
occupation of people with that surname.
4. Historical Newspaper Collection: These are mostly small town newspapers,
and most do not have complete series / coverage. Many newspapers are
provided to Ancestry through third-party vendors. They are not available in
Ancestry Library Edition due to licensing restrictions. The titles available
through ProQuest Historical Newspapers™ are not available in Ancestry
Library Edition.
5. ProQuest’s G&LH Books in the Families and Local Histories Collection: These
titles are found in HeritageQuest Online, available from ProQuest.
6. Periodical Source Index (PERSI): This database is found in HeritageQuest
Online, available from ProQuest.
7. Freedman’s Bank Records: This database is found in HeritageQuest Online,
available from ProQuest.
11
8. Biography & Genealogy Master Index (BGMI): This is a Gale Cengage Learning
database. After AncestryPlus was discontinued, Gale licensed this content to
Ancestry.com for the consumer market only. The data was last updated in
the 2008 release.
9. Passenger and Immigration List Index (PILI): This information is updated
through 2009 with content provided by Gale Cengage Learning.
10. GPC (Genealogical Publishing Company): There are about 90 titles from this
publisher that are not available in Ancestry Library Edition.
Note: The Ancestry World Tree, Public Member Trees and the Ancestry Message
Boards are read-only for users of Ancestry Library Edition. You will not be able to
upload GEDCOM data or other family tree software (such as Family Tree Maker),
post messages or reply to messages using Ancestry Library Edition.
This document does not list all differences between Ancestry.com and Ancestry
Library Edition, only the key differences. Content and functionality is subject to
change at any time.
If you subscribe to Ancestry.com, and cancel your subscription, please note
that any records you’ve saved to members of your family are not saved to your
computer. If you cancel your subscription, the links to those records will
disappear. You should print these out, or save to your personal computer in
order to have continued access to them.
Using Wild Cards in Searching Ancestry:
Wild cards are special symbols that are used in searching to represent some
number of unknown letters in a word. They can be effective tools if you are
searching for words or names with alternate spellings. Ancestry uses both the
asterisk (*) and the question mark (?) as wild cards.
The asterisk represents 0-5 unknown characters. For instance: fran* will find
Fran, Frannie, Franny, Frank, Frankie, Franklin, etc. The asterisk can also be used
in the middle of words or names: Smel*er will find Smeltzer and Smelzer, for
example.
The question mark represents 1 unknown character. For example, Johns?n will
bring up both Johnson and Johnsen.
You can use a wild card at the beginning or end of a word, but not both. For
example, Han* and *son are acceptable, but not *anso*. Additionally, names
must include at least 3 non-wild card characters.
Wild card searches work with Simple and Advanced searches, as well as exact
matches. They don’t work with Soundex searches.

Heritage Quest Online (now powered by Ancestry.com): Provides good search tips,
and you can now email Heritage Quest documents to yourself.
12
Some of the many things that can be found on Heritage Quest include:
o 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules;
o Individual Family Histories;
o Find a Grave records for the US, and several other countries;
o Freedman’s Bank Records 1865-1874 (serving African Americans)
o Revolutionary War records;
o Military Records
o US City and County Directories 1821-1989;
o US Indian Census Rolls;
o US Census, 1790-1940

Newspaper articles can be rich with information. Try these databases. America's
News (NewsBank); Los Angeles Times Historical (Proquest); New York Times
Historical; Newspaper ARCHIVE Library Edition, San Francisco Chronicle Historical.
See other historical newspaper resources in a separate section, p. 18

Other library databases may be of use when researching people who are wellknown, such as Biography in Context, and Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Additionally, searching Reference USA may yield current addresses and phone
numbers of people.

GALE COURSES: Genealogy Basics: http://education.gale.com/lsfpl/SearchResults.aspx?SearchTerms=genealogy&ac=False. Learn where to look,
who to contact, and how to use research tools to begin an exciting and fascinating
exploration of your roots.

WorldCat: WorldCat is a catalog of books, archival collections, serial publications; AV
materials, and more, found in libraries around the world. Try searching surnames by
author, subject, and keyword. It is possible to borrow many books through interlibrary loan.
OTHER GENEALOGY RESOURCES IN, OR RELATED TO THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

California Genealogical Society & Library: http://californiaancestors.org/. 2201
Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, CA 94612-3031. Tel. (510) 663-1358, FAX (510) 6631596. The California Genealogical Society, organized in San Francisco on February 12,
1898, is one of the premier genealogical resources in Northern California. The Library is
rich in genealogy reference materials, both standard and unique, covering people and
places in California and the rest of the country. The Society offers research services,
online one-of-a-kind genealogical indexes and databases, and a research library housing
over 38,000 reference materials from California, the United States, and around the
world. This is a membership site. The basic membership level is $40. There are some
13
items that you can access as a non-member, and you can pay $10 per name to have
names searched in their databases.

California State Library, Genealogy Resources:
http://www.library.ca.gov/calhist/genealogy.html (See also, Sutro Library)

Golden Nugget Library’s San Francisco County Databases:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~npmelton/sfc.html - Part of
Rootsweb, an Ancestry.com community.

National Archives, San Bruno: http://www.archives.gov/san-francisco/genealogy.html.
1000 Commodore Dr., San Bruno, CA 94066-2350. (650) 238-3501. Open 7:30-4, M-F.
Federal Censuses 1790 – 1930, censuses of American Samoa and Native Americans in
California and Nevada, records documenting the removal of Cherokee and other tribes
in the Oklahoma Removal, passenger arrival records for port of San Francisco, indexes to
naturalization records from Federal courts in Honolulu, Reno, and San Francisco,
Chinese immigration, and much more. They recommend making an appointment to
have them help you make the best use of your time using their resources.

Notes on San Francisco Genealogy: http://www.notfrisco.com/colmatales/sfgen.html This website is most interesting for its list of San Francisco cemeteries, detailing the
relocations of remains as land became needed for other purposes.

Oakland FamilySearch Library:
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Oakland_California_Large_Multistake_Family_History_Center. 4766 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, California, 510-531-3905.
This is a branch of the Mormon Family History Library. They have a huge number of
resources, classes, and very helpful staff and volunteers. They also have scanners, and
you can take your family photos and documents and scan them there at no charge
(bring a flash drive to save your scans on). Boy Scouts can also earn a Genealogy Merit
Badge in one visit.

San Francisco Bay Area Genealogy Calendar: http://sfbagenealogy.blogspot.com/ - List
meetings and workshops of Bay Area Genealogical groups.

San Francisco Genealogy: http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/sfdata.htm - Includes
genealogy information for the following counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz,
Marin, and Alameda. Also includes information on California Spanish Genealogy, Ship
Passenger Lists, Wagon Train Lists, and Isthmus of Panama Passenger Information, and
more.

Sutro Library: https://www.library.ca.gov/collections/sutro.html - Located on the
campus of San Francisco State University, in room 610 of the J. Paul Leonard Library,
1630 Holloway, 415- 469-6100. Houses the largest genealogy collection west of Salt Lake
City. Items can be borrowed via interlibrary loan through your local library.
14
A SMALL SAMPLING OF OTHER ONLINE GENEALOGY RESOURCES

Access Genealogy: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/ - One of the leading and largest
free genealogy websites. Supposed to be good for Native American research.

The Ancestor Hunt: http://www.theancestorhunt.com/ - Blog which lists useful sites,
especially state historical newspapers, as well as providing research tips.

Black Sheep Ancestors: http://www.blacksheepancestors.com/ - Just what it implies.
Search for family in prisons, asylums, etc. Includes biographies of famous black sheep,
including pirates.

CYNDI’S LIST: http://cyndislist.com/ - Cyndi's List is free for everyone to use and it is
meant to be your starting point when researching online. It is a categorized & crossreferenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet. This is probably the largest
compendium of internet resources on genealogy. It can also be overwhelming.

eBay.com: People sell collections of family photographs, yearbooks, old newspapers,
and other items. It’s worth checking your family’s name periodically to see if anything
turns up. I have found photographs and phonograph records.

FamilySearch.org (the main Mormon website): https://familysearch.org/ - An important
resource with free access, 3 billion names in their databases, and 24/7 telephone help –
and they are really friendly and helpful. This link provides tips for accessing their millions
of records: http://familyhistorydaily.com/tips-and-tricks/millions-of-free-records-onfamilysearch-cant-be-found-via-search-heres-how-to-access-them.

Family Tree Magazine: http://familytreemagazine.com - Some content is free via email
or Facebook. Print subscription price is $27 for seven issues (US). One of the best free
aspects of the site is their annual compendium of the best genealogy websites. They
also have some blogs (free access), including the very interesting Photo Detective, in
which a genealogy and photo specialist helps people date photographs, and sometimes
determine locations, using a variety of clues. Family Tree Magazine also offers online
classes, and lots of books for purchase through their website. “Like” them on Facebook,
and get interesting hints, or sign up on their website for a free email newsletter. The
library subscribes to this periodical, and the last few years are available online.

Finding Your Roots: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/finding-your-roots/resources - This is a
PBS-compiled compendium of resources accompanying their popular television show.
Includes a combination of free and pay sites.

Genealogy in Time: http://www.genealogyintime.com/tools/genealogy-searchengine.html. – Free newsletter, and free searching of 3.6 billion records from 36
countries. I have found obituaries, marriage announcements, concert announcements,
family trees, and more.

Google.com – Don’t underestimate basic internet searching. I have turned up
obituaries, news articles, current addresses of relatives, old photographs, YouTube
videos, and much more.
15

Internet Archive: https://archive.org/ - Searching is kind of clunky, but there are many
family genealogies on this site from many sources. Limit your search to text to narrow
things down, and try using the advanced search.

Library of Congress Genealogy Resources: http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/ and
https://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/other.html. Some resources are available online,
and many more are available at the library.

Newberry Library, Chicago: https://www.newberry.org/genealogy-and-local-history.
While particularly focused on local genealogy, the Newberry has materials of interest for
researchers from around the country. Their Collection Guides and Research Tools are
especially useful: https://www.newberry.org/genealogy-collection-guides-and-researchtools.

Social Security Death Index: The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a database of
people whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA)
beginning about 1962. A small number of deaths are listed before 1962. It was created
from the Social Security Administration's Death Master File. Due to restrictions enacted
in March 2014, new entries to publicly available versions of the Social Security Death
Index will not be available for three years beginning on the date of an individual's death.
You will not find everyone who died from about 1962 to about mid-March 2014, but it
does list many deaths in that time frame, especially in more recent years (particularly
after the late 1980s). It is close to being a national death index for the United States. If
you find someone listed in the Social Security Death Index you can usually order a copy
of the form they filled out when they applied for a Social Security Card (SS-5 application)
from the Social Security Administration for a fee. This record usually has more
information about the person such as date and place of birth, and names of parents.
However, names of parents may not always be released by the SSA. See restrictions on
SS-5, and find more information at: http://www.deathindexes.com/ssdi.html. Individual
states also keep death records. See Vital Records, and www.cyndislist.com.

Steve Morse: http://www.stevemorse.org/index.html - Immigration, census, vital
records, foreign alphabets, maps, etc. Claims to get data from other websites in “more
versatile ways than the search tools provided on those websites.” I haven’t had a huge
amount of luck with it in terms of searching for Ellis Island records, but also haven’t had
a lot of luck on the Ellis Island website either.

United States Church Records:
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Church_Records

University of Wisconsin Scout Report genealogy links:
https://scout.wisc.edu/search/node/genealogy. This site links to a wide range of
genealogical resources.

U.S.A.Gov: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/History-Family.shtml - One-stop
government genealogy resources, including archives and historical societies, by state;
census records; info on federal prisoners; Ellis Island and other immigration sites; how
to trace Native American ancestors; and much more.
16

U.S. Genweb: http://usgenweb.org/ - Free genealogy sites, by state. Hit-or-miss, in my
experience.
IMMIGRATION INFORMATION
While Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia were the major ports of
entry, there were some 90 other ports around the country where immigrants entered the
United States. Many of these can be found on the National Archives Website:
http://archives.gov/research/immigration/passenger-arrival.html.
Passenger lists can be found in a variety of places, including Ancestry, Family Search, etc. There
are many other good resources; the following are free:

Angel Island: “The Ellis Island of the West.” Located in San Francisco Bay, Angel Island
was a major port of entry for Asian immigrants, as well as for immigrants from many
other countries, during its years of operation. Angel Island immigration records can be
found at the National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/san-francisco/genealogy.html.
There are several websites with information about the Angel Island immigration
experience, including http://angelisland.org/history/united-states-immigration-stationusis/, http://www.aiisf.org/, http://www.angel-island.com/history.html, and
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1309.

Castle Garden: http://www.castlegarden.org/searcher.php - Before Ellis Island opened,
Castle Garden was the major place of entry for immigrants coming through New York.

Ellis Island: http://ellisisland.org. An extensive free listing of manifests for ships that
arrived in New York between 1892 and 1924-the years during which Ellis Island was
America's primary immigrant processing center and where 12 million immigrants were
processed. This web site was developed and is maintained by the American Family
Immigration History Center located on Ellis Island.

German Roots: www.germanroots.com. A very helpful collection of sites with links and
resources for doing German genealogical research.

Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives: www.gjenvick.com. One of the largest collections of
historical documents from the 1800s through 1954 with concentrations in Steamship
and Ocean Liner documents and photographs, passenger lists, U.S. Navy Archives and
additional materials covering World Wars I and II, the Works Progress Administration
(WPA) and Immigration documents from Ellis Island, Castle Garden and other
Immigration Stations.

See also: www.cyndislist.com, www.stevemorse.org, www.jewishgen.org, and
http://archives.gov, all sites which have a wealth of immigration sources.
17
ONLINE HISTORIC NEWSPAPERS

African American Newspapers: http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/africanamerican-online-historical-newspapers-summary-updated-2015#.VZwbAs5VIoc

Afro Newspaper Morgue Collections: http://morgue.afro.com/AfroArchon/.

California Digital Newspaper Collection: http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc - Lots of small
newspapers from around the state are included. You can skim by title to find
newspapers in the areas of the state you are interested in.

Chronicling America: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ - This Library of Congress site
has a large number of historic newspapers.

Effective Researching in Historic Newspapers:
http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/6-easy-ways-to-get-educated-about-historicalnewspaper-research#.VZwcCM5VIoc

Elephind.com: http://www.genealogytoday.com/https://www.elephind.com/: An
interesting complement to the comprehensive newspaper collections held by many
libraries, Elephind is something of a boutique collection. The digital newspaper
collections search engine contains 2,705 fully digitized newspaper titles, provided by
about 21 library partners, which range from the Door County Library (Wisconsin) with
one title, to the US Library of Congress with 1,060 titles and The National Library of
Australia somewhere in between, at 681.

Genealogy Bank: http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ - Historic newspapers, Social
Security Death Index, various historical documents. A subscription site, very hit-or-miss.
Found a notice of who attended my grandmother’s 6th birthday party! Not sure that I
would renew my subscription.

Historical Newspapers online, accessible through University of Pennsylvania, provides
links to over 3200 newspapers, by state, and also by audience (i.e. African American,
Christian, Jewish, etc.):
http://guides.library.upenn.edu/historicalnewspapersonline?utm_source=The+Ancestor
+Hunt+List&utm_campaign=dd0c7838f2RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f387a9112e-dd0c7838f245575397

New York Times Historical, accessible through SFPL website.

San Francisco Chronicle Historical, accessible through the SFPL website with a library
card or on-site at the library. Invaluable resource, dating from 1865-present.

Wikipedia’s list of historical newspaper archives, world-wide, free, and subscription,
with links to some:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_online_newspaper_archives?utm_sour
ce=The+Ancestor+Hunt+List&utm_campaign=dd0c7838f2RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f387a9112e-dd0c7838f245575397 –
18
RESEARCHING SPECIFIC ETHNIC GROUPS - These are resources I’ve found while helping others,
thus the list is not at all comprehensive. See Cyndi’s List for more resources.
African American

1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules: See Heritage Quest database.

African American Genealogical Society of Northern California: http://www.aagsnc.org/
- Located in Oakland, with monthly meetings at the Dimond Branch of the Oakland
Public Library, and regular classes at the Oakland Family History Center.

African American Newspapers: http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/africanamerican-online-historical-newspapers-summary-updated-2015#.VZwbAs5VIoc

Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy: http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/: This free
database details the histories and background of 100,000 slaves who were brought to
Louisiana in the 18th and 19th centuries. It includes documents from archives in France,
Spain, and Texas. The painstaking work of Dr. Gwendolyn Midlo Hall includes details
about African slave names, about African slave names, genders, ages, occupations,
illnesses, family relationships, ethnicity, places of origin, prices paid by slave owners,
and slaves' testimony and emancipations. Because the French and Spanish proprietors
of Louisiana kept far more detailed records than their British counterparts at slave ports
on the Atlantic coast, the records show valuable historical data. For historians who
thought such information was lost or could never be collected and analyzed, the
database is a once-unimaginable prize.

Black Archives of Mid-America: http://www.blackarchives.org/. The mission of the
Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City, Inc. is to collect, preserve and make
available to the public materials documenting the social, economic, political and cultural
histories of persons of African American descent in the central United States, with
particular emphasis in the Kansas City, Missouri region.

Freedman’s Bureau Records: http://www.discoverfreedmen.org/#project – the
Freedmen’s Bureau Project was created as a set of partnerships between FamilySearch
International and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the AfroAmerican Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), and the California African
American Museum. Also available on Heritage Quest.

Mapping the Stacks: A Guide to Black Chicago's Hidden Archives :
http://mts.lib.uchicago.edu/
Mapping the Stacks (MTS) is a collaboration between University of Chicago faculty and
Ph.D. students, professional archivists and librarians, primarily from the University of
Chicago Library's Special Collections Research Center, and archives, libraries, and
community-based organizations in the Chicago area that hold rich, but unprocessed
collections related to African-American history. Founded by Professor Jacqueline
Goldsby of the University of Chicago's Department of English in 2003, Mapping the
Stacks provides the people power to process African American primary source records,
19
including visual materials, periodicals, papers, recorded oral histories, and ephemera
according to established archival standards. About 30 completed finding aids are
currently accessible on the website, along with a primer on what finding aids are and
how they can be used, and a short glossary of archival terms. While production of an
archival finding aid for a collection does not digitize all the artifacts in that collection,
finding aids contain descriptions of both the materials in the collection and the people
and organizations who created the records. Finding aids also indicate the extent of a
collection - how much material there is. This means that the work that MTS has chosen
to do, get more finding aids online, helps researchers discover hidden collections that
document Black Chicago's history. (From the Internet Archive).

Slave Voyages: http://www.slavevoyages.org/. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
has information on almost 35,000 slaving voyages.
Chinese/Chinese American

Angel Island: “The Ellis Island of the West.” Located in San Francisco Bay, Angel Island
was a major port of entry for Asian immigrants, as well as for immigrants from many
other countries, during its years of operation. Angel Island immigration records can be
found at the National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/research/chineseamericans/guide.html

Chinese Historical Society of America: http://chsa.org/. 965 Clay Street, San Francisco,
94108. CHSA promotes the contributions and legacy of the Chinese in America through
its exhibitions, publications, and educational and public programs in the Museum and
Learning Center. We are housed in the landmark Julia Morgan-designed Chinatown
YWCA building at 965 Clay Street, San Francisco.

Family Tree Relationships – It’s Complicated (Chinese Genealogy) by Lisa Louise Cooke:
http://lisalouisecooke.com/2013/03/chinese-family-history/

US National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/san-francisco/genealogy.html.
Danish/Danish American

www.danishfamilysearch.com – Online databases of genealogy information from
Denmark

Danish National Archives - https://www.sa.dk/en/k/about-us

https://www.facebook.com/groups/24660168721/?fref=nf – Open Facebook group for
those researching Danish genealogy

Museum of Danish America: www.danishmuseum.org
20
Hispanic

Catholic Church Records in the United States:
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Roman_Catholic_Church_in_the_United_States

Catholic Church Records in Spain:
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Spain_Catholic_Church_Records_%28FamilySearch_Hi
storical_Records%29

Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico: http://www.hgrc-nm.org/

Puerto Rican Roots: http://www.prroots.com/

Latin American genealogy links from the University of Texas:
http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/genealogy/ - Please note this page isn’t being
maintained, and some links may no longer work.

Researching Latin American Ancestors, from Family Search:
https://familysearch.org/blog/en/researching-ancestors-latin-americapart-1/
Irish

Irish Ancestry: http://c.ancestry.com/cs/media/finding-irishancestors.pdf?o_xid=70115&o_lid=70115&o_sch=Affiliate+External – This article from
Ancestry.com has lots of tips for researching your Irish ancestors.

Irish Catholic Church Records:
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Ireland_Catholic_Church_Records
Jewish

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society: http://www.hias.org/records-search - The HIAS
archives, dating from 1909, chronicle the modern history of a people who have migrated
around the world for centuries. Search for arrivals, missing people, people separated by
the holocaust, etc. They charge for searches.

JewishGen: http://www.jewishgen.org/: Includes a number of databases, geographic
special interest group message boards, the ability to post documents for other members
to translate, and more. Some items only available to members who make an annual taxdeductible donation, but worth it. Includes references for overseas genealogists for hire
who can either conduct research for you, or serve as guides and translators if you plan
to make a trip to do research. Also offers excellent online classes.

Tracing the Tribe (Jewish): This Facebook group is very helpful for Jewish family
research. There are people from around the world in the group. You can get items
translated from any number of languages, including Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Russian,
Polish, Ukranian, etc. People will also help you find documents, and will often agree to
21
go to cemeteries to photograph headstones. You need to request to join the group.
There are other genealogy groups on Facebook and other social media sites.

San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society:
http://www.jewishgen.org/sfbajgs/ - They offer monthly programs in San Francisco,
Oakland, and occasionally other Bay Area locations. One especially helpful program they
offer on a monthly basis is Brainstorming with the Mavens at the Jewish Library, 1835
Ellis St., in which experienced genealogists make themselves available to help people
with their individual family research. Their website also lists other local resources for
those researching Jewish genealogy.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum: http://www.ushmm.org/ - Good site for researching
victims of the holocaust.

Yad Vashem: http://www.yad-vashem.org.il/ - Especially helpful for database of
holocaust victims.

Your Jewish Gem: http://yourjewishgem.blogspot.com/ - Blog on Jewish Genealogy.
Native American:

Access Genealogy: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/ - One of the leading and largest
free genealogy websites.

Carlisle Indian School: http://carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/- Records from the Carlisle
Indian School, one of the main places Native American children were removed to for
education. Includes lists of students, detailed student records, and more.

Cyndislist.com: www.cyndislist.com has over 500 links to resources on Native American
genealogy.

National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/san-francisco/genealogy.html.

U.S.A.Gov: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/History-Family.shtml

US Indian Census Rolls: See Heritage Quest Database http://search.ancestryheritagequest.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1059
FINDING GRAVES
Many cemeteries have online information about who is buried there, sometimes with
photographs, and occasionally even causes of death.

About.com compendium of online gravesite information:
http://websearch.about.com/od/dailywebsearchtips/qt/dnt0612.htm

American Battle Monuments Commission: http://www.abmc.gov/ - Search for graves
of United States service members buried overseas.
22

Arlington National Cemetery: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Find-a-Grave
- Search for gravesites of United States service members buried at Arlington Cemetery.

Billion Graves: http://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/BillionGraves - part of the
Mormon Family Search site, this is a crowd-sourced compendium of graves, so if you like
to hang out in cemeteries and take pictures of old headstones, they’d welcome your
input. Smartphone app available.

Find a Grave: http://www.findagrave.com/ - Skip the search window at the top of the
site – this is an unrelated, subscription site. Both Heritage Quest and Ancestry include
Find a Grave.

JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry:
http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Cemetery/tree/CemList.htm

Online Cemetery Records and Burial Indexes:
http://www.deathindexes.com/cemeteries.html - Includes national, some international,
and state, city and county sites, as well as military gravesites. It’s also useful to google
cemeteries in the city or county where your relatives are buried. Many small cemeteries
have their own websites.

US Department of Veterans Affairs: http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/ - Includes
locations of burial of veterans in military, as well as private cemeteries.
OBITUARIES
I haven’t found any consistently great sources for free obituaries. There are a number of paid
sites, and the content is very hit or miss. www.cyndislist.com lists many sources. You can also
try this site which covers the United States and Canada: http://www.obitlinkspage.com.
Sometimes cemetery websites or funeral homes have obituaries. If your relative was wellknown, they may have had an obituary in the New York Times. Otherwise, local newspapers are
your best source. Most public libraries will do obituary searches. Sometimes there is a nominal
charge.
For obituaries of gay men, and those who have died of AIDS, try the following sites:



AIDS Memorial Grove, San Francisco: http://www.aidsmemorial.org/
GLBT Historical Society/Bay Area Reporter: http://obit.glbthistory.org/olo/index.jsp
Names Project/AIDS Quilt: http://www.aidsquilt.org/
OTHER PLACES TO SEARCH FOR INFORMATION

Local historical societies and genealogical societies:
o Ancestry.com’s List of Historical and Genealogical Societies:
https://www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=List_of_Genealogical_Societies
o FamilySearch List of Historical and Genealogical Societies:
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Societies
23



o Obituary Links Historical and Genealogical Societies (United States and Canada):
http://www.obitlinkspage.com/hs
o Wikipedia’s List of Historical Societies:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historical_societies
Libraries: Genealogical, Local, Regional and State;
Archival Collections: these may be held in small libraries, or in Universities; see
https://beta.worldcat.org/archivegrid/ for a guide to many of them.
Courthouse records: See Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to
Genealogical Treasures by Christine Rose. 929.1072 R7202cr

Museums
HIRING A PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGIST: Stuck? Don’t have time? Hire a professional
genealogist.

FamilySearch.org has a detailed article on their website about the process, where to
find a researcher, what to expect, and what you might be charged:
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Hiring_a_Professional_Researcher.

Professional Genealogists: http://www.progenealogists.com/. Progenealogists is
affiliated with Ancestry.com.
GENEALOGY SOFTWARE REVIEWS:

http://familytreemagazine.com/ResearchToolkit/SoftwareGuide

http://genealogy-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
Ancestry no longer sells their Family Tree Maker software. It is now available from
http://www.mackiev.com/ftm/.
DNA TESTING COMPARISONS:
There are many companies which offer a variety of DNA tests that can help you find members
of your family. 23andme.com also offers information about whether you carry genes for some
inherited diseases, including Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle Cell Anemia, and Tay Sachs, as well as many
other diseases. The following chart provides useful information to help choose a testing
company, and take note of the Before You Buy and Choosing a DNA testing company articles
linked to this page: http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_testing_comparison_chart
GENEALOGY TELEVISION SHOWS:


Finding Your Roots, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, aired on public TV. Features influential
Americans from many walks of life.
Genealogy Roadshow, sponsored by Ancestry; aired on public TV.
24

Who Do You Think You Are? Based on the British show of the same name. Originally
aired on NBC, now runs on TLC Cable. Produced by Lisa Kudrow, a partnership of Shed
Media, NBC, and Ancestry.com.
These are fun to watch, but keep in mind that over 1000 hours can go into researching the
documentation for one episode.
GENEALOGY WORKSHOPS:
There are numerous organizations that offer workshops around the country and around the
world. Many local genealogical and historical societies, as well as public libraries, offer
workshops. Also try the following:



Cyndi’s List: http://www.cyndislist.com/education/conferences-seminars-andworkshops/
FamilySearch offers many workshops:
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Upcoming_Conferences
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) offers the public a comprehensive
program of genealogical workshops and courses in its facilities nationwide. Topics include an
introduction to genealogy and research into records such as census schedules, military service
and pension records, and passenger lists. A listing of workshops can be found here:
http://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/events.
PRESERVING FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS and DOCUMENTS with ARCHIVAL SUPPLIES:
A. Handle paper documents with clean hands, holding by the edges. If you have access to
plain cotton gloves, these are recommended for handling photographs. These are
available from archival companies, including those listed below.
B. Protecting important paper documents and photographs: both paper and ink, and
color photographs deteriorate over time, especially when exposed to light. This process
can be delayed by proper storage of documents in archival sleeves, available from a
number of companies, including:
a. Archival Methods - http://www.archivalmethods.com/
b. Brodart - http://www.shopbrodart.com/archival-supplies
c. Gaylord - http://www.gaylord.com/c/Preservation
d. Hollinger - http://www.hollingermetaledge.com/
C. Digitally scanning originals provides continued access to items without exposing them
to continued handling. This website has more than you may ever want to know about
scanning photographs, and much of the information in this section has been taken
from there: http://www.scanyourentirelife.com/.
a. It is recommended that you scan each item twice, at different dpi (dots per
inch):
25
i. Scans at 300 dpi are suitable for emailing, books and films, and most
web page display.
ii. Scans at 600 or more dpi are better for items that you want to print
larger copies of.
b. If your items are smaller or bigger than standard, here are recommended dpi:
i. 1000 dpi for 2.5x3.5
ii. 900 dpi for 3.5x3.5
iii. 600 dpi for up to 8x10
c. Negatives should be scanned at 3000-4000 dpi
d. Saving scanned files: TIFF files are preferred because the platform is the most
flexible. Don’t use PNG – not all image programs can open these files.
e. Once you have scanned items, you can make simple adjustments using either
Word, or Paint, or somewhat more complex adjustments in programs that you
can download for free, like Pixlr.com, Google’s Picasa, or iPhoto.
f. For more complex corrections, including color correction, you may want to
purchase upgrades to Pixlr, or Adobe Photoshop, or Apple’s Aperture, or other
photo editing programs. There are online tutorials for color correction.
PRESERVING FABRICS:
Fabric also deteriorates over time, particularly where it is creased. Woolens are subject to
moths. Mice like anything they can use to make a nest. And color fades when exposed to light.
Photographs can be taken of clothing and other fabric items, and digital images can be stored
and shared. The following website gives directions for protecting and storing fabrics:
http://www.mohistory.org/img/unCommonThreadsSite/preserving_treasures.pdf
G.I. BABIES:
U.S. Servicemen fathered children with women in other countries during war time. Children
trying to trace their fathers may have some luck through DNA testing on genealogy websites.
The following web sites may also be of use:


American World War II Orphans Network: http://www.awon.org/discus/messages/14/499.html
G.I. Trace: http://www.gitrace.org/
FINDING THE ELUSIVE WOMEN IN YOUR FAMILY
The library has a two especially useful books on the subject:
26
Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering your Female Ancestors:
Special Strategies for Uncovering Hard-to-find Information About your Female Lineage. REF 929.1082
C21g
Schaefer, Christina K. The Hidden Half of the Family: A Sourcebook for Women's Genealogy.
929.1072 Sch13h



Check out these, and other websites (found by searching “finding the women in your
family tree”):
o http://www.familytreemagazine.com/article/bestrecords-for-finding-femaleancestors
o https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/finding-females-in-your-familytree/76
o http://c.ancestry.com/cs/media/finding-women-stories.pdf
Examine the backs of all family photos, and ask older relatives to help identify unknown
faces
Looking at family naming patterns. Many women took their maiden name as a middle
name (or initial) when they married. Children are often given a mother’s family name as
a middle name.
27
28
INDEX
About.com
p. 22
Access Genealogy
pp. 15, 22
African American Genealogical Society of Northern California
p. 19
African American Newspapers
pp. 18, 19
African American Resources
pp. 12, 18, 19-20
Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy
p. 19
Afro Newspaper Morgue Collections
p. 18
AIDS Memorial Grove
p. 23
AIDS Quilt
p. 23
American Battle Monuments Commission
p. 22
American War Orphans Network
p. 26
America’s News (Newsbank)
p. 13
Ancestor Hunt, The
p. 15
Ancestry Directory of Historical and Genealogical Societies
p. 23
Ancestry.com
p. 6, 10-12, 14, 21, 23, 24
Ancestry Library Edition
pp. 10-12
Angel Island
pp. 17, 20
Archival Collections
pp. 9, 13, 23
Archival Methods (preservation supplies)
p. 25
Archival Supplies
p. 25
Arlington National Cemetery
p. 22
Bay Area Genealogy Resources
pp. 13-14, 22
Bay Area Reporter Obituaries
p. 23
Billion Graves
p. 23
Biographies, San Francisco, Finding Aid (See San Francisco Public
Library, San Francisco History Center)
p. 9
Biography in Context
p. 13
Black Archives of Mid-America
p. 19
Black Sheep Ancestors
p. 15
Books, How-To, (See San Francisco Public Library, General
Collections)
p. 9
29
Brodart (preservation supplies)
p. 25
Burke’s Peerage (See San Francisco Public Library, General
Collections)
p. 9
California Census Data (See San Francisco Public Library,
Government Information Center)
p. 9
California Digital Newspaper Collection
p. 18
California Genealogical Society & Library
p. 13
California State Library
p. 14
Castle Garden
p. 17
Catholic Church Records in the United States
p. 21
Catholic Church Records in Spain
p. 21
Cemeteries
pp. 14, 22-23
Cemetery Records and Burial Indexes, Online
p. 23
Chinese Genealogy
pp. 14, 20
Chinese Historical Society of America
p. 20
Chronicling America
p. 18
Church and Synagogue Records
pp. 3, 4, 16, 21
City Directories (See San Francisco Public Library, Magazines and
Newspapers Department, and San Francisco Public Library San
Francisco History Center)
pp. 4, 9
Courthouse Records
pp. 14, 23
Cousin Chart
p. 26
Cyndi’s List
pp. 15, 19, 25
Databases, San Francisco Public Library
pp. 10-13
DNA Testing
p. 10, 24
eBay.com
p. 15
Elephind.com (historical newspapers)
p. 18
Ethnic Groups, Researching
pp. 19-22
Danish/Danish American Genealogy
p. 20
Fabric, preserving
p. 26
Fact or Fiction
p. 2
Family Crests (See San Francisco Public Library, General
Collections)
p. 9
30
Family Photographs
pp. 2, 14, 15, 22, 25-26
Family Photographs, Preserving, Handling, Scanning
pp. 25-26
Family Sources
p. 2
FamilySearch Directory of Historical and Genealogical Societies
p. 23
FamilySearch Genealogy Workshops
p. 25
FamilySearch.org
pp. 6, 9, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21, 23
23, 24, 25
Family Secrets
pp. 2, 15
Family Tree Magazine
pp. 5, 15, 24
Family Tree Maker Software
p. 24
Family Tree Relationships, It’s Complicated (Chinese Genealogy)
p. 20
Find a Grave
pp. 4, 13, 23
Finding Your Roots
pp. 15, 24
Freedman’s Bureau Records (see also Heritage Quest)
pp. 11, 13, 19
Gale Courses Online, San Francisco Public Library, Genealogy
p. 13
Gay Men, Graves, Obituaries
p. 23
Gaylord (preservation supplies)
p. 25
Gedcom Files
pp. 6, 12
Genealogical and Historical Societies
p. 9, 16, 23
Genealogy Bank (historical newspapers)
p. 18
Genealogy in Time
p. 15
Genealogy Magazines (See San Francisco Public Library, Magazines
and Newspapers Department)
p. 9
Genealogy Roadshow
p. 24
Genealogy Software Reviews
p. 24
Genealogy Television Shows
pp. 15, 24-25
Genealogy Workshops
pp. 14, 25
Geni.com
p. 6
German Roots
p. 17
Getting Started
p. 2
G.I. Babies
p. 26
31
G.I. Trace
p. 26
Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives (immigration information)
p. 17
GLBT Historical Society
p. 23
Golden Nugget Library’s San Francisco County Databases
p. 14
Google.com
pp. 15, 23, 26
Graves
pp. 4, 22-23
Great Register (See San Francisco Public Library San Francisco
History Center)
p. 9
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
p. 21
Heraldry (See San Francisco Public Library, General
Collections)
p. 9
Heritage Quest Online
pp. 12-13, 19, 22, 23, 29
Hiring a Professional Genealogist
pp. 10, 24
Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico
p. 21
Hispanic Genealogy Resources
p. 21
Historical Newspapers Online
p. 18
Historical and Genealogical Societies
p. 9, 16, 23
Hollinger (preservation supplies)
p. 25
Immigration Information
pp. 14, 16, 17, 20
Internet Archive
p. 16
Irish Genealogy
p. 21
Jewishgen.org
pp. 17, 21, 22, 23
JewishGen Online World Burial Registry
p. 23
Jewish Genealogy
pp. 21-22
Latin American genealogy links from the University of Texas
p. 21
Libraries
pp. 6, 8, 13-14, 16, 19, 22, 23
Library of Congress Genealogy Resources
pp. 16, 18
Local Genealogy Events Calendar – see San Francisco Bay Area
Genealogy Calendar
p. 14
Los Angeles Times Historical (Proquest)
p. 13
Mapping the Stacks: A Guide to Chicago’s Hidden Archives
p. 19
Mormon Church - see Family Search Centers, FamilySearch.org
32
Museums
p. 19, 20, 23
Museum of Danish America
p. 20
MyHeritage.com
p. 6
Name Changes
p. 5
National Archives
pp. 4, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22, 25
National Archives Genealogy Workshops
p. 25
Native American Genealogy
pp. 14, 15, 16, 22
Newberry Library, Chicago
p. 16
Newspaper Archive Library Edition
p. 13
Newspapers
pp. 3, 9, 13, 15, 18, 19, 23
New York Times Historical
pp. 13, 18, 23
Nobility (See San Francisco Public Library, General
Collections)
p. 9
Notes on San Francisco Genealogy
p. 14
Oakland Family Search Library (Oakland Family History Center)
p. 14, 19
Obituaries
pp. 4, 9, 15, 23
Obituaries, San Francisco
p. 9
Obituary Links Page, Directory of Historical and Genealogical
Societies
p. 23
Obituary Links Page, Directory to Obituary Resources
by State and Canadian Province
p. 23
Online Cemetery Records and Burial Indexes
p. 23
Outline Method for Tracking a Family Tree
pp. 7-8
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Database
p. 13
Preservation Supplies
p. 25
Preservation of Photographs, Documents, and Other Items
pp. 25-26
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
pp. 2-3, 5, 19
Professional Genealogists
pp. 10, 24
Progenealogists.com
p. 24
Puerto Rican Roots
p. 21
Record Keeping
pp. 3-4
Reference USA Database
p. 13
33
Researching Latin American Ancestors, from Family Search
p. 21
Researching Specific Ethnic Groups
pp. 19-22
RootsWeb
p. 6, 14
San Francisco Bay Area Genealogy Calendar
p. 14
San Francisco Bay Area Genealogy Resources
pp. 9, 13-14, 20, 22
San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogy Society
p. 22
San Francisco Biographies Finding Aid (See San Francisco Public
Library, San Francisco History Center)
p. 9
San Francisco Chronicle Historical Online
pp. 13, 18
San Francisco City Directories
p. 9
San Francisco Funeral Home Records (See San Francisco Public
Library, San Francisco History Center)
p. 9
San Francisco Genealogy
pp. 9, 13-14, 20, 22
San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office Records (See San
Francisco Public Library, San Francisco History Center)
p. 9
San Francisco Public Library Databases
p. 10-13
San Francisco Public Library Genealogy Resources
pp. 8-13
Scanning Photographs and Other Items
pp. 14, 25-26
Secondary Sources
p. 3
Secrets
p. 2
Slave Schedules, 1850 and 1860
pp. 13, 19
Slave Voyages
p. 20
Slaves
pp. 13, 19, 20
Social Security Death Index
pp. 2, 4, 16, 18
Spain, Catholic Church Records
p. 21
SteveMorse.org
pp. 16, 17
Sutro Library
p. 14
Television Shows, Genealogy
p. 23
Tracing the Tribe (Jewish)
p. 21
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
p. 22
Vital Records
pp. 2, 4, 8, 9, 16
34
Vital Records, San Francisco (See San Francisco Public Library,
San Francisco History Center)
p. 9
Voter Registration Books (San Francisco Public Library San
Francisco History Center)
p. 9
United States Department of Veteran Affairs, Grave Locator
p. 23
University of Wisconsin Scout Report Genealogy Links
p. 16
U.S.A.Gov
pp. 16, 22
US Genweb
p. 17
US Indian Census Rolls (See Heritage Quest)
pp. 13, 22
Where to Build Your Family Tree Online
pp. 5-6
Who Do You Think You Are?
p. 24
Wikipedia’s list of Historical Societies
p. 23
Wikipedia’s list of historical newspaper archives
p. 18
Wild Card Searching in Ancestry
p. 12
Women
p. 26-27
WorldCat
p. 13
Yad Vashem
p. 22
Yearbooks
pp. 9, 15
Your Jewish Gem
p. 22
35